www.lightingandsoundamerica.com September 2018 $10.00 Metallica The WorldWired Tour ALSO: Dave Matthews Band A New Take on Gounod’s Faust Area Four Industries DPA d:vote CORE 4099 SGM G-Profile Turbo High End Systems SolaFrame 750 Copyright Lighting &Sound America September 2018 http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/LSA.html CONCERTS Copyright Lighting &Sound America September 2018 http://www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/LSA.html 70 • September 2018 • Lighting &Sound America METALLICA’S CUBIST PERIOD The classic metal band tries a new look featuring plenty of video By: Sharon Stancavage an Braun, production designer for Metallica’s WorldWired Tour , says that he took his cue from the drummer, Lars Ulrich, who asked for something “next-level,” a request that took the band—which routinely brings fans new and exciting productions—in an unexpected direction. “It’s Da very different Metallica show than has ever been out there before,” says production manager John “Lug” Zajonc. “It’s more technologically driven. In the past, they’ve done some amazing shows, but this is more sophisticated and artistic.” Braun found inspiration in the world of art. The video cubes that are such a striking feature of the design, he says, “came out of an industrial architectural sculpture in an Amsterdam building. I was fascinated by the way it jux - taposed light and shape in lines and cubes and boxes. I thought, I could do that with those little light panels, but then we wouldn’t get any light on the stage.” Then another art project, this on in New York City, came into the design - er’s view. “It had cubes, in a ceiling, that were color- changing. It was everything I wanted to do, except the cubes didn’t move. I started playing with sizes, weights, what we would do with them, and how we would get illu - mination on the band.” An arrangement of moving video cubes wasn’t the only concept in play, Braun says: “A Metallica show is really n n a half-band, half-audience and to me—and I think to the m r a L band—we’re striving for a creative situation where the h p l a energy of the band comes into the audience where it gets R : s o amplified and goes back to the band. They become ener - t o h P gized, amplify that, and send it back to the audience. To www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • September 2018 • 71 CONCERTS me, that cycle is a Metallica show.” Video Although Metallica has played in-the-round before, this The set design features 52 video cubes, 36 of them on a isn’t a typical example of that configuration. “The concept TAIT Navigator motion control system. The cubes feature of the stage/height/size/positioning is all about intimacy,” ROE CB5 panels, provided by the Los Angeles office of Braun says. “We’re trying to make it feel like everyone is PRG, on four sides. Braun explains, “The top is open and sitting in the band’s rehearsal room, garage, or practice handles the kinetic motion equipment and cable manage - area, and everyone has a front-row seat.” Eliminating the ment, and underneath hangs Robe BMFL WashBeams.” barrier between the band and audience was a challenge, Zajonc says: “The 16 cubes that don’t move need to be however: “I worked hard to reposition the support techni - tested before they go up, because they’re hard to reach.” cians around the stage so there is minimal equipment Fortunately, he adds, “The product we have is very reliable, between the band and the crowd.” and we don’t see a lot of attrition. Our video crew also does Other crew members were affected by this layout, a very good job of inspecting everything before it flies.” Braun notes: “We have a great pair of monitor engineers, Movement, along with weight, is a daily challenge. Bob Cowan and Adam Correia, and they’re mixing remote - Braun notes: “The show is big and heavy, and that has ly, using video monitors, on the loading dock.” Also, there been Lug and Chad Koehler—our head rigger—figuring are no manned cameras to block the audience’s view. out how to make it work. When you’re moving things that “The level of collaboration and cooperation from every sin - are heavy, if you hit an emergency stop, there is a dynamic gle member of the crew was amazing,” he adds. “It wasn’t load issue. Lug and Chad are crushing it; they worked without some bumps, but, ultimately, we’re all pushing in through it in an amazing way.” Zajonc adds, “The show is one direction: to make the best possible show.” 170,000lb static and 220,000lb with the dynamic loads The stage, fabricated by Lititz, Pennsylvania-based TAIT taken into account, with 168 rigging points. I think it’s the is low. “It’s 44' square, 52" and it’s spun, off-axis, 45° from 60 two-ton motors that upset everybody.” Rigging is pro - what you’d do traditionally,” Zajonc says. “In the stadium vided by Five Points Production Services, based in Bell shows, our stage is 200' wide and 40' deep, so this is a Buckle, Tennessee. much more intimate space for them to play in. It gives Braun continues: “One thing that became apparent as them a chance to interact with each other and not have to we were messing with the cubes is that, if we could make run long distances.” The stage layout also includes four this work, every seat would be a unique view. As you prop lifts. move around the arena, you’re looking at different screen Flames and pyro are two of the special effects provided by Pyrotek. 72 • September 2018 • Lighting &Sound America The cubes pose a rigging challenge, due to their weight and the fact that they're automated. surfaces. That’s part of the magic of the show.” Content designer/director Rob Koenig collaborated closely. “This creation was by KPX Video. Braun also brought along Scott production was done differently from how we’re used to Holthaus, production designer for Red Hot Chili Peppers, working,” Koenig says. “Really and truly, the set—which is as art director. “For the video content people and my live the videos cubes—is everything. When Dan put this on the imagining people, it’s a nightmare,” Braun says. The night - table, he had already conceived placing a fixture on the mare deals with, among other things, routing images to dif - inside bottom of each cube. There aren’t many places to ferent sides of each cube, which may or may not be mov - put anything else, as the show is in-the-round, and a lot of ing at different times. “It became apparent very quickly buildings have weight limits when you’re talking about how difficult this was going to be, but no one said, ‘We hanging center ice. Those weight limits are typically tied to can’t do this.’ They said, ‘Okay, let’s think about this a little center scoreboards and with LED panels. A lot of thought bit,’ and got down to it.” Video is controlled using two dis - went into how we were going to pull this off.” guise gx 2 media servers. Aside from the cubes, the area over the band is stream - The production also includes 16 robotic cameras. lined. “There isn’t a traditional piece of lighting truss in the “Manned cameras would interfere between the band and building,” Braun says. “Some trusses handle cable man - audience,” Braun notes. “All of that is run away from the agement and we’ve hung lights on them for convenience, stage.” There are 12 Panasonic PTZ cameras and four AJA but there are no lighting trusses per se.” Video RovoCams, directed by Gene McAuliffe. To light the stage, Koenig chose the Robe BMFL WashBeam. “It’s incredibly fast for a fixture of that size,” he Lighting says. “It’s the best large-format hybrid fixture on the mar - “This show is designed cohesively, so that everything ket, in my opinion. It’s a great spot luminaire, a great wash works together,” Braun says. Similarly, he and lighting light, the pan/tilt motors are incredibly accurate, and www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • September 2018 • 73 CONCERTS The drones from Verity Studios make an appearance over the stage during “Moth into Flame.” the color rendering is fantastic. I don’t have enough good thing is. As soon as I saw Dan’s renderings, which he things to say about it.” worked out with Tait, I knew this was the direction we As previously mentioned, one BMFL WashBeam resides would have to go: I take a light, point it at a stage marker, under each cube. “Tait built us a mounting system that and whether a cube is 52' in the air or 16' off the floor, the hangs the light at the bottom of each cube,” Koenig says. light points at the stage marker. The current system takes “There are 52 cubes and 52 Robe WashBeams. To keep approximately two hours per day to focus.” the lights stable, they put an RSC Lightlock [motion damp - Audience lighting is provided by 44 TMB Solaris Flares. ener] inside each cube.” Overall, 60 BMFL WashBeams are “The band really likes a lot to see a lot of audience,” found in the main grid; the others are located on various Koenig says, “Especially when in-the-round, you have to trusses used for cable management. make sure you cover everywhere. We’re taking everything Because the BMFLs are physically tied to the cubes, at oblique angles to make sure that audience light comes focusing could have presented a problem.